1. Field of Invention
The invention relates generally to a hinge mechanism, and more particularly, to a collapsible ascension ski having such a hinge mechanism, the ski being useful for uphill and/or cross-country travel, for example, over unpacked or partially-packed snow in the backcountry. The invention also concerns related methods and kits.
2. Related Art
Skiing and snowboarding are popular winter activities. While most winter sports enthusiasts participate in such activities within the bounds of privately-operated, lift-accessible mountain resorts, many avid skiers and snowboarders also seek access to so-called backcountry terrain. In order to access such terrain without the use of motorized vehicles such as, for example, snow machines, snow cats, and/or helicopters, specialized equipment is typically required in order to enable a skier or snowboarder to traverse cross-country and/or uphill over unpacked, partially packed, or packed snow to a point of descent.
For skiers, accessing and ascending backcountry terrain can often be achieved by slight modifications to the same equipment used for descending. For example, by utilizing specialized bindings with detachable heel pieces and a pair of detachable skins, an alpine skier can easily traverse and ascend over unpacked snow. At the point of descent, the skier can simply remove the skins, lock the heel portion of each binding, and descend. Telemark skiers may similarly attach skins to the bottom of their skis, ascend to a desired location, remove the skins, and descend.
Snowboarders, on the other hand, typically require additional and/or highly modified equipment to access such terrain without significantly increasing the amount and weight of equipment required. For example, snowboarders have been known to utilize split snowboards, various types of modern snowshoes, or so-called “short skis” to traverse and ascend in the backcountry. These solutions, however, have disadvantages. A split snowboard, for example, is essentially a snowboard constructed in two pieces and separable along the longitudinal axis thereof into two distinct “skis” separately attachable to the user's respective boots for ascending and traversing. To descend, the distinct pieces are then coupled together by the user along mating longitudinal edges with known locking/latching mechanisms to form a snowboard. Accordingly, while allowing for both ascending and descending, split boards do not have the same stability and feel as a modern (one-piece) freestyle snowboard when ridden downhill due to the inherent center seam and the resulting play introduced by the large number of locking/mating parts. Moreover, split boards are typically heavy and cumbersome and provide compromised feel and long transition time. Additionally, they can be relatively expensive. Snowshoes also have disadvantages in that they make travel comparably inefficient and slow and do not allow the backcountry snowboarder to take advantage of tracking along packed ski tracks created by, for example, skiers. Likewise, short skis with releasable bindings and removable skins are still similarly inefficient and ineffective as they are both too long to fit in a backpack and not long enough for climbing and traversing through and over unpacked terrain.
What is needed is an effective, lightweight backcountry access tool for snowboarders and/or other outdoor enthusiasts or military that is easily stowable (such as in a backpack) and thereby avoids the foregoing disadvantages. Additionally, a hinge mechanism and/or binding suitable for this and other applications is needed.